Chapter 1770: The Original Body

Seeing his tacit admission, Qiu Honglei and Yan Xuehen's gazes turned even colder.

Qiu Honglei's rage increased by 444...

Yan Xuehen's rage also increased by 444...

Zu'an inwardly groaned and quickly sent a telepathic message to the two women: "This is a misunderstanding. I'll explain everything in detail later."

A cold sneer appeared on both women's faces, clearly indicating they didn't believe him.

Zu'an sighed again, then sent a telepathic message to Jing Teng: "Miss Jing, you've really put me in a bind."

Jing Teng glanced at Qiu Honglei, and seeing her looking as if she was about to erupt like a volcano, a faint smile touched the corners of her lips. At the same time, she wondered why the woman in white was so hostile towards her. She couldn't help but ask the middle-aged man, "Zang Ao, is this your new flame?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Xuehen's expression turned frigid, and she grew even angrier.

Yan Xuehen's rage surged by 500...

The middle-aged man quickly waved his hand, explaining, "You've misunderstood. Miss Yan is merely a friend I invited to assist me; there's no such relationship between us."

Jing Teng didn't believe him at all. Instead, she looked at Yan Xuehen. "This lady is so ethereal and refined. I truly don't wish for you to fall into a quagmire. This man is ambitious and absolutely not a suitable partner. You must not let him deceive you."

"He and I have no connection," Yan Xuehen said coldly.

Jing Teng paused, sensing that the other woman wasn't lying. So why was she so hostile towards her?

At this moment, the middle-aged man, instead, smiled. "I've been quite sad all these years, but I never expected you, Tengteng, to still get jealous when there are other women around me. I suddenly feel a little happy. You even deliberately brought another man to pretend to be your lover just to anger me. You're still as mischievous as you were back then."

Qiu Honglei and Yan Xuehen both breathed a sigh of relief. They realized they had been too flustered by their concern. Thinking about it, they knew this was probably just the woman trying to provoke her ex-boyfriend. Even if they didn't believe her, they should at least believe Zu'an. He wasn't some kind of philanderer; how could he possibly have hooked up with such a beautiful woman so quickly?

Just then, Jing Teng looked at the middle-aged man as if he were an idiot. "Are you overly narcissistic? Do I really need to go out of my way to deceive you?" As she spoke, she wrapped her arm around Zu'an's. "Big Brother Zu treats me very well, and I love him very much too. We're mutually devoted, and I'm already his."

Zu'an: "???"

*Oh, please, don't say such things! That could be fatal.*

Yan Xuehen and Qiu Honglei had just been thinking they'd misjudged Zu'an, but the next second, upon hearing this shocking revelation, they were completely stunned. *Already his?*

Yan Xuehen thought to herself, *That scoundrel Zu'an is truly despicable! He already has Qiu Honglei, yet he's still sneaking around behind her back! And what's wrong with Yun Jianyue, that disciple? She was supposed to be a demonic enchantress, but how could she not even keep a man in check? How could someone else so easily 'steal his home' from under her nose?*

Yan Xuehen's rage spiked by 911...

Qiu Honglei's eyes also widened in disbelief. *But I'm with A'Zu every day! When did those two get involved? Was it during one of the times I fell asleep?* She didn't doubt Jing Teng's words, though, because she knew that Jing Teng was extremely proud and would never joke about her own reputation like that. *Ah, this woman is utterly shameless!*

Qiu Honglei's rage escalated by 748...

Watching Zu'an's arm sink into Jing Teng's soft bosom, the middle-aged man's breathing instantly quickened. Even Jing Teng hadn't been that intimate with him back in the day! He gave Zu'an a long, hard look. "Good, very good indeed."

Zang Ao's rage increased by 444...

He then made an effort to compose himself before looking at Jing Teng. "Are you returning to this old place because you intend to retrieve your true form?"

"What, are you going to stop me?" Jing Teng gave him a faint glance.

The middle-aged man let out a long sigh. "Even though you're angry with me and hate me, how could I ever do anything to harm you? I was confused for a moment back then, and I've regretted it ever since... Never mind, you probably don't want to hear all that. I'll take you there."

With that, he turned and led the way, directly to the backyard of the residence. He produced a token and pressed it into the air. A semi-transparent light screen shimmered into view, and then the scene before them transformed. The dilapidated landscape overgrown with weeds vanished, replaced by a beautiful flower garden.

Zu'an paused, realizing this must be a clever illusion. If it hadn't been personally dispelled by him, outsiders would likely find it impossible to locate this spot. In the flower garden, blossoms were in full bloom and butterflies fluttered, while in the very center, a small tomb stood nestled amidst the flowers. Zu'an instinctively glanced at Jing Teng, guessing this was probably her tomb.

The middle-aged man led them to the center of the garden. In front of the tomb stood a stone tablet, inscribed with the words: "Tomb of My Beloved Jing Teng." The area in front of the stone tablet was covered with incense, candles, and paper money, alongside offerings of various fruits and pastries.

The middle-aged man then gently stroked the tombstone, his voice filled with profound sadness. "Every year on your death anniversary, I come to visit your grave and stay here with you for a few days. I know you were always most afraid of loneliness and loved lively places."

Zu'an and the others couldn't help but glance at Jing Teng. She had clearly been living in remote mountains and forests, giving off an aloof vibe, yet it turned out her former self enjoyed bustling environments?

At this point, a smile appeared on the middle-aged man's face. "I never expected to see you here today. I'm truly overjoyed that you're not dead."

Qiu Honglei thought, *This guy seems quite devoted. Why doesn't Jing Teng stay with him instead of trying to snatch my A'Zu? How annoying!* Yan Xuehen also nodded secretly. Throughout their journey, Zang Ao had indeed acted like a gentleman. She wondered why the two had fallen out so dramatically. The crucial thing was that Zu'an was somehow involved, which was truly vexing.

Jing Teng ignored Zang Ao's loving gaze, instead staring blankly at the tombstone. Suddenly, a whip appeared in her hand, and she lashed it directly onto the tombstone. The tombstone instantly shattered into fragments, becoming a pile of rubble.

"What are you doing?" The middle-aged man's face contorted in shock.

"The inscription on it was annoying to look at," Jing Teng replied calmly.

The middle-aged man was speechless.

Just then, Jing Teng's long whip swung again, causing the tomb itself to burst open. Zang Ao could no longer hold back and quickly stepped forward to block her. "Are you mad? That's your own tomb!"

Jing Teng stared at him with an expression that suggested he was an idiot. "Am I not alive right now? What good is this tomb to me?"

Zang Ao: "???"

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. Jing Teng ignored him and instead gestured with her hand. The nearby climbing vines suddenly surged forward, their various tendrils winding their way into the tomb, digging away the earth that sealed it. Finally, a stone coffin was lifted out from within.

With a casual wave of Jing Teng's hand, the coffin lid was pushed aside. The group instinctively craned their necks, eager to see what her true form would be like. Would it resemble her current appearance, or would it simply be a pile of bones?

To everyone's surprise, however, the stone coffin was completely empty. There was nothing inside.

Jing Teng turned to Zang Ao. "I demand an explanation!"

Zang Ao's expression was one of profound shock. He rushed to the stone coffin and frantically rummaged inside with both hands, but indeed, there was nothing. "This is impossible! I personally buried you back then!"

"And outside, there's the special formation you set up. No one else could have gotten in besides you," Jing Teng said, her face as cold as frost.

Zang Ao quickly explained, "I don't know what happened either. You know I wasn't cultivating back then, so I had someone set up this formation much later. It must be that someone took advantage of that period to steal your true form."

"This place is inherently secret, and there are various formations outside. Who else could it be but you, overseeing your own theft?" Jing Teng sneered repeatedly, clearly unconvinced.

"Could it be Sun En? He knew about this place back then, or perhaps..." Zang Ao's expression shifted, as if he had just thought of something. He immediately declared, "Tengteng, I will investigate all of this thoroughly and give you an explanation!"

After speaking, he turned and hastily departed, evidently going to investigate something. With his current status and position, uncovering information wouldn't be difficult.

Yan Xuehen approached Zu'an, staring at him with a half-smile. "I never realized you were so capable."

Zu'an felt his head ache. He quickly tried to explain, "This is just a misunderstanding, actually—"

But she cut him off. Yan Xuehen quickly sent a telepathic message: "We can discuss the other matters later. Zang Ao is the head of the Adventurers' Guild, and they're well-informed. I'll go there and find out who issued that warrant for your arrest, and see if it can be canceled."

"I don't need..." Zu'an tried to call out to her, but unfortunately, she was very headstrong and currently furious, so there was no way she would listen. She quickly drifted away.

Jing Teng, standing nearby, watched the two of them with some confusion. So, this fairy-like woman in white knew Zu'an?

Just then, she suddenly felt a palpable killing intent. It was Qiu Honglei staring at her with an unfriendly gaze.

Zu'an sensed a potential battle was about to erupt, so he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what exactly is your true form? And why do you seem so unconcerned about it?"